PASTA

We tried all kinds of pasta and came to one simple conclusion: Ernie does not care for pasta.

This plate of pasta has 39 clams in it: evidence shown on right!

PIZZA

Another must-have in Italy-- it's embarrassing to admit that we prefer Americanized pizza though... (see Amy's expression)

Our dining experience started off quite disappointing in Rome (try ordering ‘roast beef’ and getting a whole plate of raw cured meat, or getting a pizza with no topping according to the American definition), but improved drastically once we arrived in Cirque Terre. We intended to try the local specialties as much as possible; in general, Rome and Florence specialize in meat, while Cirque Terre and Venice specialize in seafood. As expected, some trials were successful while others weren’t. Some of our favorite dishes: cured meat with cantaloupe (Amy cheated and had a few tiny bites), juicy and flavorful salmon in Monterosso, zuppa Michela (seafood stew) in Vernazza, Florentine steak in Florence (Amy cheated again), and cicchetti (Italian tapas) in Venice. And our most memorable dining experiences: seafood dinner on the cliff in Vernazza with fantastic views, and an extravagant 7+ course dinner good for four in Venice (refer to respective tabblo for Cinque Terre and Venice).

Our one and only Chinese meal: stir fried rice noodles!

Post-lunch coma...